Thermodynamics work sheet

Chapter Four
PART-I
1. Explain the limitation of first law of thermodynamics.
2. Show that the Kelvin–Planck and the Clausius expressions of the second law are equivalent.
3. What is the difference between a refrigerator and a heat pump?
4. Show that COPHP = COPR +1 when both the heat pump and the refrigerator are operating
between the same temperature reservoir.
5. Does a heat engine that has a thermal efficiency of 100 percent necessarily violate (a) the first
law and (b) the second law of thermodynamics? Explain.

PART-II
1. A geothermal power plant uses geothermal water extracted at 160°C at a rate of 440 kg/s as the
heat source and produces 22 MW of net power. If the environment temperature is 25°C,
determine (a) the actual thermal efficiency, (b) the maximum possible thermal efficiency, and
(c) the actual rate of heat rejection from this power plant.
Answers: (a) 8.8%, (b) 31.2%, (c) 229.1MW
2. A steam power plant receives heat from a furnace at a rate of 280 GJ/h. Heat losses to the
surrounding air from the steam as it passes through the pipes and other components are
estimated to be about 8 GJ/h. If the waste heat is transferred to the cooling water at a rate of
145 GJ/h, determine (a) net power output and (b) the thermal efficiency of this power plant.
Answers: (a) 35.3 MW, (b) 45.4 percent
3. A heat engine operates between two reservoirs at 800oC and 20°C. One-half of the work output
of the heat engine is used to drive a Carnot heat pump that removes heat from the cold
surroundings at 2°C and transfers it to a house maintained at 22°C. If the house is losing heat at
a rate of 62,000 kJ/h, determine the minimum rate of heat supply to the heat engine required to
keep the house at 22°C.
4. An automobile engine consumes fuel at a rate of 28 L/h and delivers 60 kW of power to the
wheels. If the fuel has a heating value of 44,000 kJ/kg and a density of 0.8 g/cm3, determine
the efficiency of this engine. Answer: 21.9 percent
5. A Carnot heat engine receives heat at 750 K and rejects the waste heat to the environment at
300 K. The entire work output of the heat engine is used to drive a Carnot refrigerator that
removes heat from the cooled space at 15°C at a rate of 400 kJ/min and rejects it to the same
environment at 300 K. Determine (a) the rate of heat supplied to the heat engine and (b) the
total rate of heat rejection to the environment.
6. A household refrigerator that has a power input of 450 W and a COP of 2.5 is to cool five large
watermelons, 10 kg each, to 8°C. If the watermelons are initially at 20°C, determine how long
it will take for the refrigerator to cool them. The watermelons can be treated as water whose
specific heat is 4.2 kJ/kg·°C. Is your answer realistic or optimistic? Explain. Answer: 2240 s
7. Determine the COP of a refrigerator that removes heat from the food compartment at a rate of
5040 kJ/h for each kW of power it consumes. Also, determine the rate of heat rejection to the
outside air.
8. A heat pump is used to maintain a house at a constant temperature of 23°C. The house is losing
heat to the outside air through the walls and the windows at a rate of 60,000 kJ/h while the
energy generated within the house from people, lights, and appliances amounts to 4000 kJ/h.
For a COP of 2.5, determine the required power input to the heat pump. Answer: 6.22 kW
9. Consider a Carnot heat-engine cycle executed in a closed system using 0.01 kg of refrigerant-
134a as the working fluid. The cycle has a thermal efficiency of 15 percent, and the refrigerant-
134a changes from saturated liquid to saturated vapor at 50°C during the heat addition process.
Determine the network output of this engine per cycle. Answer:0.228KJ
10. A Carnot heat engine receives heat from a reservoir at 900°C at a rate of 800 kJ/min and rejects
the waste heat to the ambient air at 27°C. The entire work output of the heat engine is used to
drive a refrigerator that removes heat from the refrigerated space at -5°C and transfers it to the
same ambient air at 27°C. Determine (a) the maximum rate of heat removal from the
refrigerated space and (b) the total rate of heat rejection to the ambient air.
Answers: (a) 4982 kJ/min, (b) 5782 kJ